Posted on 05/13/2003 1:38:45 PM PDT by mountaineer
PARIS, France (AP) -- The French biked, walked or skated to work on Tuesday when hundreds of thousands of transport workers went on strike across the country, reducing air, train and bus service to a minimum and causing many travelers to cancel trips.
The strike was aimed at forcing the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to back away from reforming the troubled retirement system by requiring employees to work more years to qualify for pensions.
Police said more than one million protesting workers marched through France's major cities on Tuesday, while unions said the number was 2 million. In Paris, authorities said 70,000 took to the streets, but union leaders put that at 250,000.
The government has said it is open to discussion with unions about the details of the plan. But Social Affairs Minister Francois Fillon said the general direction of the reform was in the interest of all French workers and was already decided.
Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said the walkouts provided an occasion for officials to further inform the public about reform of the pension system, which officials predict will go bust in 20 years if not changed.
"Explain .... It's the key word for us in government on this day," Cope said. "If we don't carry out this reform, the system will collapse."
Teachers, post office workers, and employees of some private sector companies also walked off the job. With no delivery service, newspapers, too, fell victim to the "day of action."
Transport disruptions were massive. The national railway SNCF reported that nearly 60 percent of its employees stayed away from work, the highest participation rate for a railway strike since crippling shutdowns in 1995 that helped topple the government.
Metro and bus services were also cut to a minimum, meaning many had to walk or bike to work. The occasional train that ran was packed with commuters, and crowds on a platform at Paris' Saint Lazare station grew so large that some people were forced to jump onto the tracks to avoid the crush.
One in three high-speed TGV trains was running, but numerous destinations went without service, France-Info radio said. The Eurostar train service to London was reported running normally.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
... In Paris, between 50,000 and 250,000 protesters [That's a pretty wide range!] clogged streets. The boisterous but peaceful march began at Place de la Republic, on the Seine's Right Bank, and ended a few miles south.
Nurses, municipal workers, archaeologists [Zut! Not the archaeologists, too!] and teachers brandished banners denouncing the conservative [????] government of Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin.
[Whine alert ---] "Normally I should retire in four years, but if this government legislation passes, I'll have to work another two," said Paris nurse, Francoise Besserie, 51, who joined the demonstration with her 26-year-old daughter, Florence. "I've been a nurse for 18 years and I've had enough."
Nearby, therapist Jean-Victor Cahn, added his own criticism to the government pension plan.
"There's enough money to pay for retirement, but it's all going to support big business," said Cahn, 55. "I'm for the ordinary people getting a share."
But many economists -- not to mention the French government -- argue otherwise. Without drastic changes, they argue, France's pension system will go bankrupt bankrolling a growing number of longer-living retirees. full story
"I'm for the ordinary people getting a share."A share of what, precisely?--does wealth simply fall from the sky like a gentle summer rain in France?
PARIS - An international conference on intolerance opened yesterday with a stern warning that acts of hatred against Jews, particularly in Europe, have reached their highest level since World War II. ...
Attacks in France and Britain on Jewish schools, synagogues and cemeteries have coincided with heightened tensions in the Middle East. Many attacks in France have been blamed on young Muslims. full story
Socialist math says it does.
Really?? I think I'll drop the strikers a note of encouragement.
This would be bad why?
That would be ",,,,,denouncing the conservative islamic government of PM Jean Pierre Raffarin."
The sweet sound of European workers cutting their own throats. The European social democratic model of high taxation and economic stagnation is exactly what liberals want America to evolve toward. A guaranteed job requiring no real work, ten weeks of paid vacation for everybody, and somebody else to always pay the bill.
The longer they delude themselves the harder the price will be when it all comes crashing down. Then, you can look for a revival of real fascism and rule by the iron fist. It won't be pleasant.
If the day comes that France has to declare bankruptcy, would the EU be responsible for its debts?
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